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MY'STORY

The MOVE Fire

This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985 Philadelphia police fired thousands of rounds at the MOVE house, city officials approved dropping an explosive device on the roof, the resulting fire was allowed to burn, 11 people—including five children—died, and 61 homes were destroyed. Philadelphia City Council later called it a “brutal attack carried out by the City of Philadelphia on its own citizens” and acknowledged that no individual faced criminal consequences for the bombing. One timeline correction worth preserving for the BHP record: the major previous MOVE-police confrontation was August 8, 1978, about seven years before the bombing, not a year or two earlier. Officer James Ramp was killed, other police and firefighters were wounded, nine MOVE members were later convicted, and television cameras recorded police beating Delbert Africa during his arrest. The 1985 MOVE Commission later specifically criticized city planners for failing to adequately use lessons from that 1978 confrontation. And that actually strengthens the point you’re making: 1985 did not happen without precedent or institutional memory. There had already been a deadly confrontation with MOVE, years of conflict, negotiations and police involvement before Osage Avenue.

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BLACK FACTS
The Truths They Never Taught You...

Katherine Johnson — Mathematics to the Moon

Katherine Johnson’s mathematical calculations helped guide some of America’s most important early space missions while she confronted the racial and gender barriers faced by Black women in twentieth-century America.

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BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
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NMAAHC

USS West Virginia Pearl Harbor Survivors hat worn by Ck2 George Francis Bland

Date
ca. 1991
Manufactured by
Lancaster Uniform Cap Company, American, 2013
Unidentified
Worn by
Ck2c George Francis Bland, American, 1922 - 2014
Subject of
Disabled American Veterans, American, founded 1920
Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, American, founded 1958
Naval Station Pearl Harbor, American, founded 1899
United States Navy, American, founded 1775
Description
A USS West Virginia Pearl Harbor Survivors hat with two pins worn by Ck2c George Francis Bland.
2024.46.1.1: The Lancaster Uniform Manufacturing Company men’s size 7 ½ garrison cap is primarily constructed from polyester and wool. The cap’s fabric is white and navy blue with navy blue embroidered text on both sides. The crown of the cap is navy blue and the side panels are white with gold piping along the edges. The embroidered text on the proper left side panel of the cap reads [U.S.S. West Virginia / Pearl Harbor Survivors]. The embroidered text on the proper right side panel of the cap reads [B.B. 48], the hull number of the USS West Virginia. A white, circular, Pearl Harbor Survivors Association logo patch is sewn to the cap just behind the front fold. The patch is circular with two concentric navy blue embroidered rings that form a white band around the edges of the patch. Navy blue embroidered text inside the band reads [PEARL HARBOR SURVIVORS / ? ASSOCIATION ?]. At the center of the patch is the association’s emblem, an embroidered white eagle in profile with its wings extended, holding a missile in its talons, set against a blue watery background. The cap’s interior is lined with gold fabric and the hatband is a black, faux leather, plastic hat band. Sewn to the hat band, on the interior proper left, are two white tags with black printed text. The larger tag is a manufacturer’s tag with a list of materials, dry cleaning instructions, and the name and address of the manufacturer, [Lancaster Uniform / Manufacturing Company]. The smaller tag is printed with the hat size, [7 ½]. The back of both tags are blank. Attached to either side of the service cap are two gold toned, enameled pins (2024.46.1.2 and 2024.46.1.3).
2024.46.1.2: A Remember Pearl Harbor 50th Anniversary pin worn by Ck2c George Francis Bland. The pin is attached to the proper left side of Bland’s garrison cap (2024.46.1.1). The gold tone, round, enameled pin has a white circle at the center with a thin red band around the edges. Inside the white center is a waving, red, white, and blue American flag mounted on a flagpole with a blue banner below with embossed gold text that reads [REMEMBER / PEARL / HARBOR]. The red enamel band around the edges has embossed gold text that reads [LET’S NOT FORGET] at the top and [1941 – 50 YEARS – 1991] at the bottom. The back of the pin is plain gold with a waffle texture and a standard size post and a second smaller gold post at the center. The pin is secured to the hat with a tan, rubber, butterfly clutch pin attached to the pin’s posts.
2024.46.1.3: A Disabled American Veterans pin worn by worn by Ck2c George Francis Bland. The pin is attached to the proper right side of Bland’s garrison cap (2024.46.1.1). The gold tone, enameled pin resembles a waving, red, white, and light blue American flag mounted on a flagpole. To the left of the flagpole are red, white, and blue vertical letters at read [D / A / V]. Below the flag is a wavy navy blue banner with embossed gold text that reads [LIFE MEMBER]. The back of the pin is plain gold with a pebbled texture and features a standard size gold post and a second smaller gold post at the center. The pin is secured to the hat with a gold tone butterfly clutch pin attached to the pin’s gold posts.
Place made
Los Angeles, California, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Military
World War II
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Awards, Medals, and Insignia
Memorabilia and Ephemera - Other
Clothing - Fashion and Historical
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Frank Bland in memory of George Francis Bland
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2024.46.1.1-.3
Type
pins (fasteners)
garrison caps
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
2024.46.1.1 (hat): thread on polyester and wool (textile)
2024.46.1.2 (pin) : enamel on metal
2024.46.1.3 (pin): enamel on metal
Dimensions
H x W x D (2024.46.1.1): 5 1/4 × 11 3/4 × 1/2 in. (13.4 × 29.8 × 1.3 cm)
H x W x D (2024.46.1.2): 1 × 1 × 1/2 in. (2.5 × 2.5 × 1.2 cm)
H x W x D (2024.46.1.3): 13/16 × 11/16 × 3/8 in. (2.1 × 1.7 × 1 cm)
Title
Object Name • USS West Virginia Pearl Harbor Survivors hat worn by Ck2 George Francis Bland
Record ID
nmaahc_2024.46.1.1-.3
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
USS WEST VIRGINIA PEARL HARBOR SURVIVORS HAT WORN BY CK2 GEORGE FRANCIS BLAND
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1939-1945 • 1990s
Name
Naval Station Pearl Harbor • United States Navy • Pearl Harbor Survivors Association • Disabled American Veterans • Bland, George Francis • Lancaster Uniform Cap Company
Place
United States • North and Central America • Los Angeles • California
Topic
WW II • Military • World War, 1939-1945
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • Los Angeles • State • California • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Pins (fasteners) • garrison caps
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

Media

Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Rights and restrictions shown above are supplied by the Smithsonian record.

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NMAAHC

Two matching gold accessories from Mae's Millinery Shop

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

USS West Virginia Pearl Harbor Survivors hat worn by Ck2 George Francis Bland

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Plastic brush with box from Mae's Millinery Shop

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Description

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NMAAHC

Philippine Liberation Medal awarded to Ck2c George Francis Bland

Date: Date

Description

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TOPIC OF THE DAY

Greenwood / Black Wall Street

Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.

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TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

Who was the first African-American woman millionaire in the United States?

Madam C.J. Walker